


For Want of a Space Pill

by Ray_Writes



Series: Tumblr Prompts [25]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Sick Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 06:29:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14490864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ray_Writes/pseuds/Ray_Writes
Summary: Donna thinks this whole adhering-to-21st-century-medicines thing is a bit rubbish.





	For Want of a Space Pill

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so it looks as though I'm not gonna be able to finish up the next chapter of my current WIP for you guys this week, so I thought I'd do a little prompt fill. An anon on tumblr asked me to combine three different sentence prompts, so this is what I ended up with. I hope you enjoy!

Donna wanted to curse her stupid luck. Of course she’d had to ask the Doctor to stop off for a visit home right in the middle of flu season, and of course she’d had to catch the bug herself, and so now of _course_ it’d been nothing but coughing and achy limbs and intermittent headaches for the last three days.

They’d both cottoned onto her illness one night when the chills had caused her to roll herself up in all their blankets and shove him hard enough that he’d fallen out of their bed. Donna had refused to emerge from her cocoon even through a bout of fever from sheer mortification, though Spaceman had proved an absolute gentleman about it, fetching her water or cool towels or extra blankets as needed and fixing up soup for her to have something to eat.

By the second day, however, she’d decided he was still being a holdout.

“Haven’t you got some space pills or something to clear this up?” She’d asked between coughs.

The Doctor had shaken his head. “The TARDIS protects you from diseases outside your own time period because your body hasn’t got a way of fighting those off. But we don’t want to compromise your natural immune system, so it’s bed rest and cough medicine for you, Madame.”

Easy for him to say. He wasn’t the one who was feeling absolutely miserable. The door to her room opened, and Donna didn’t even bother opening her eyes. Not like it could be anyone else.

“Good morning. How are we feeling?”

Donna grunted in reply.

He scanned her with the sonic. It was a mark of how tired she was that she couldn’t even be arsed to swat it away.

“Well, your fever’s down a bit. I think the worst of it is over.”

“Is that what has you so chipper?” She managed to grumble.

“Well, yes, but I’m here for my daily fix of hugs and kisses,” he informed her, grinning as he rocked on the balls of his feet.

She’d given up telling him not to get close to her while she was ill. The bloody Time Lord couldn’t get the flu, and somehow he’d yet to be grossed out by her snotty nose or sweat-stained nightshirt. That definitely made him stand out from previous boyfriends.

Donna weakly shoved the covers off herself and only half-managed it. “Gonna have to settle for snuggles, Spaceman.”

He landed on the bed with a bounce. “Even better.” 

In short order, he’d pulled her into his arms and was rubbing circles into her back as she settled against him. His cooler temperature felt good to her heated skin, and she sought to get as close as she could.

“You smell nice,” Donna mumbled into the curve of his neck. She felt the rumble in his throat of the laugh he only barely managed to hold in.

“Thank you. You’re really soft.” He pressed his lips to the top of her head, and Donna tried not to grimace. Her hair had to be so oily. Couldn’t she just hurry up and get better so he didn’t have to witness this?

“Can I  _please_  have the space pills?”

“No. How about I run the bath for you in a few hours. There’s some salts from the Kreenar Caverns that do wonders for sore muscles.”

“Fine,” she huffed. Truthfully, it sounded heavenly. Donna placed a sloppy kiss on his collarbone. “Sorry I’m such a mess.”

“Donna, you’re ill. It’s nothing to apologize for.” He shifted her a bit and hugged her tighter. “Anyway, I promised your grandfather I’d take care of you, didn’t I?”

“Pretty sure you said I take care of you,” she reminded him.

“ _Well_ , even the best of us need a break every now and then. So you rest up.”

Donna felt herself smile even as her eyes slipped shut again. “Yeah, alright,  _Doc-tah_.”

He groaned while she coughed through a laugh. “Should’ve known that was coming. You must be worse than I thought if you’re the one making puns.”

“Must be rubbing off on me.” She yawned, then nuzzled a bit closer. “Could do worse.”

“Oh, thanks,” he said. She’d nearly drifted off when he asked, “Donna?”

“Hm?”

He started slightly underneath her. “Oh, you are still awake. Um...I forgot.”

She cracked on eye open. “You did, huh?”

Spaceman nodded.

Donna did her best to sigh through her congestion. “Right. Love you, too.”

“Um, yeah, that was it,” he squeaked.

“Good.” Donna mustered the little strength she had and pushed herself up on shaky arms to give him a proper kiss. Then she dropped back down to lie on his chest. “Now let me sleep.”

She heard him chuckle, but his tone was nothing but warm as he answered, “Yes, Madame.”

And actually, Donna thought she liked this better than the space pills.


End file.
